Braavos
' Braavos' is a massive city in the northern area of Lahmia but a member of the Free Cities and not the Kingdom of Lahmia. There is a stretch of land to the southwest called the Braavosian Coastland that is claimed by Braavos, but this is the only land outside of the city that they control. The ruler of Braavos is known as the Sealord and it is from the sea that the city’s power and wealth flows. The ruler of Braavos is known as the Sealord and it is from the sea that the city’s power and wealth flows. The Sea Lord is a truly powerful man with the power of a European King. His champion and protector is First Sword of Braavos and he resides at the Sealord's Palace. Statues commemorating past Sealords and their achievements line the canals of Braavos. The office is not hereditary, when the Sealord dies a new one is chosen and knifes will come out. Unlike the other Free Cities, Braavos was never part of the Kingdom of Lahmia, but was instead founded 500 years before the Destruction of Lahmia by refugees fleeing Lahmian expansion. They were led by the Moonsingers, who found the lagoon in an effort to find a place that the Lahmians could not find them. Following the destruction of much of Lahmia during the time following the Invasion by Nehekhara it was Braavos that led the movement to create the Free Cities. Nehekhara would push for this as a method of further weakening the position of Lahmia, and thus it was Braavos that became the first member of the Free Cities. During the period following the Rise of Lucerne Arya Starke enters Braavos to find the city in termoil following the creation of a drastically large criminal organization in the canals, and a movement trying to merge Braavos with Lahmia. Layout The city sprawls across a hundred islands in a vast lagoon. The nearby mainland is mostly marshland, whilst the seaward sides of the city are protected by tall, mountainous islands which form a semi-circle around the city. Firewood is brought in by barge, while pines on the islands surrounding the city are left to act as windbreaks to protect the harbors, and are illegal to cut down. There is only one channel large and deep enough to accommodate ocean-going ships. This channel is defended by a massive statue called the Titan of Braavos, which serves as landmark, lighthouse and defensive fortification. Just beyond the Titan lies the citadel and the vast shipyard called the Arsenal. The city proper lies beyond, a great sprawl of domes and towers and bridges in hues of grey, gold, and red. The city is comprised of a hundred islands linked together by small stone bridges spanning the many canals throughout the city. There are no trees to be found within the city, making Braavos a city of stone architecture and granite monuments. The streets are lined with houses made of grey stone, built so close that they lean upon one another. Some houses are built above waterways. They are usually slim buildings with peaked tile roofs, raised four to five stories tall. Above the houses and canals there is an aqueduct, called the sweetwater river, that brings fresh water from the mainland as the water from the lagoon is brackish, briny and unfit for drinking. Island of the Gods All gods are honored in Braavos. *House of Black and White, temple to the Many-Faced God and the headquarters of the Faceless Men. *Moonsingers Temple, is the largest and most popular temple, built of white marble capped with a silvered dome and milk glass windows that show all the phases of the moon. A pair of marble maidens flank their gates. *Temple of R'hllor, is made of red stone. It has a great square tower with a fire in an iron brazier twenty feet across located atop it. Each door is flanked by a fire. Goverment The ruler of Braavos is known as the Sealord and it is from the sea that the city’s power and wealth flows. The Sea Lord is a truly powerful man with the power of a European King. His champion and protector is First Sword of Braavos and he resides at the Sealord's Palace. Statues commemorating past Sealords and their achievements line the canals of Braavos. The office is not hereditary, when the Sealord dies a new one is chosen and knifes will come out. Category:City in the Free Cities Category:City in Africanas